Michigan: Cannabis Industry Association Capitol Protests

Lansing, MI – Today two sides of Michigan’s cannabis industry protested in front of the State Capitol Building in a debate over how the industry should move forward. The sides have been in court disputing whether the licensed dispensaries should be allowed to continue selling caregiver products as an interim solution until more growers and processors are operational.

While the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association is not taking sides in the debate, MICIA spokesperson Josh Hovey issued the following statement:

“Everyone in the cannabis industry has the same goals of ensuring all products are licensed and tested and that the black market is diminished as much as possible. The fact of the matter is there are not enough licensed growers to supply all of the provisioning centers in the state. This dispute within the industry on how to address supply issues is a short term bump in the road on the path toward a fully licensed and regulated market.

“The state can help speed up the resolution to this issue by quickly getting as many growers and processors licensed as possible so that we do not run into the supply shortage issues that we've experienced in the past. We have confidence that the newly formed Marijuana Regulatory Agency will make great strides in this measure in the near future.

“It is also important to keep in mind that caregivers have served a critical role in this industry, and there are no reports of anyone being harmed from caregiver cannabis. We encourage all sides on this issue to work with one another to come up with a resolution that everyone can live with until a fully licensed market can take shape.”

The MICIA is the state's largest and most respected organization representing medical and adult use cannabis businesses. Our membership represents cannabis businesses at every licensing level employing thousands of people across the state, with plans of hiring thousands more.